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K&K monarchy

the small fortress was used already soon after its establishment (1780 to 1790) as prison. Beside numerous military prisoners the K&K monarchy arrested here political prisoners, among other things the Greek freedom fighter Alexandros Ypsilanti, Hungarian and Czech insurgent ones of 1848 or also the authors of the assassination attempt of Sarajevo (Gavrilo Princip among other things), which d'Este with the murder of the Austrian successor to the throne Franz Ferdinand the First World War released.

the Nazis used the infrastructure, which was already present, and “perfected” the place. They removal it to a component of their repression and destruction apparatus. The prison was administered by the Gestapo agency in Prague. At the beginning there were only male prisoners, after the successful assassination attempt on pure hard Heydrich in June 1942 a woman department was only furnished. To the existing three prison yards 1943 fourth were added, which was intended for male prisoners.

Between 1940 and 1945 by the different agencies of the Gestapo approximately 27,000 men and 5,000 women were transferred to the prison Theresienstadt, first also with arrested one from Prague, then out completely Böhmen and starting from 1944 also from Mähren into the police prison Theresienstadt, predominantly Czechs, under it many Widerständler against the Nazi regime, in addition, citizens of the Soviet Union, from Poland, Yugoslavia and against end of war prisoner from the numbers of the allied armies.

Of it about 8,000 in other camps died, into which they were deportiert up to the end of the war. 2.500 did not survive the camp after torture, diseases and due to the work and living conditions and about 250 in the fortress was executed - under it also persons from the “Ghetto”, because the execution place was both for prisoners of the “small fortress” as well as the “Ghettos” a place in the “small fortress”.

Commander of the Gestapo prison was since its mechanism SS - main tower leader Heinrich Jöckel, that the 1. Company of the SS-Wachbataillons Böhmen and Mähren kommandierte.

post-war period

after that 2. World war was furnished in the small fortress an internment camp for Germans, which should be driven out from Tschechien. An exhibition in areas of the small fortress treats this part of the history of Theresienstadt.

On initiative the Czech government decided to make of former prisoners and surviving dependent 1947 from the small fortress of Terezin a memorial place.